Table slide

ABSTRACT

A table slide comprising first and second extensibly related slide members, each of which is formed from sheet stock to provide longitudinally extending web sections and/or web portions which slidably contact similar web sections and/or web portions of the other member. The first member serves as an outer member and is provided with an outwardly extending channel section, the lower horizontally extending leg of which is provided with a longitudinally extending trough intermediate its lateral edges. The second member is provided with a portion which conformingly fits into the said channel section, including a longitudinally extending ridge portion which conformingly slidably engages the trough.

United States Patent Walter 1 Jan. 25, 1972 [54] TABLE SLIDE Thomas G.Walter, Wabash, Ind, [73] Assignee: B. Walter & Company, Wabash, Ind.

[22] Filed: May 8, 1970 [211 App]. No.: 35,749

[72] Inventor:

2,712,972 7/1955 Manson et al. ..308/3.6

Primary Examiner-Martin P. Schwadron Assistant Examiner-R. H. LazarusAttorneyHood, Gust, lrish, Lundy & Coffey [5 7] ABSTRACT A table slidecomprising first and second extensibly related slide members, each ofwhich is formed from sheet stock to provide longitudinally extending websections and/or web portions which slidably contact similar web sectionsand/or web portions of the other member. The first member serves as anouter member and is provided with an outwardly extending channelsection, the lower horizontally extending leg of which is provided witha longitudinally extending trough intermediate its lateral edges. Thesecond member is provided with a portion which conformingly fits intothe said channel section, including a longitudinally extending ridgeportion which conformingly slidably engages the trough.

5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJAHZSISTZ 3,837,268

INVENTOR THOMAS G. WALTER $052 w Maw ATTORNEYS TABLE sum;

It is a primary object of my present invention to provide aninexpensive. yet extremely effective table slide of the type provided bybending or otherwise forming two elongated strips of sheet metal.

The table slide market is such that the cost of the slides must be heldto an absolute minimum, even though the buying public demands that theslides provide extension and retraction movement which is smooth andeasy. The required low cost prohibits the use of ball bearings orrollers as antifriction means to obtain the required smooth action.Thus, competitive table slides must generally comprise a pair ofextensibly related, sheet metal slide members, each of which is formedwith longitudinally extending web sections and/or web portions whichslidably contact similar web sections and/or web portions of the othermember. One of the two members is usually formed with a channel sectionwhich telescopically receives a portion of the other member and whichconfines the other member for extension and retraction movement in thedirection of elongation of the members. It is in this area of thechannel section that I have made a contribution toward providing smoothslide action.

Particularly, I provide first and second slide members with the firstmember serving as an outer member. The outer member is provided with anoutwardly extending channel section, the lower horizontally extendingleg of which is provided with a longitudinally extending troughintermediate its lateral edges. The second member is provided with aportion which conformingly fits into the said channel section, includinga longitudinally extending ridge portion which conformingly slidablyengages the trough. In order to provide the required smooth action, 1form the trough with a generally Ushaped cross section and the ridgeportion which slidably engages the trough with a conforming generallyU-shaped cross section.

Other objects and features of my present invention will become apparentas this description progresses.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention maybe embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings,attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings areillustrative only, and that change may be made in the specificconstruction illustrated and described, so long as the scope of theappended claims is not violated.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of my table slide;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged end view of my table slide; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary elevational view, partially cutaway andpartially sectioned, of my table slide showing the upper flanges thereofattached, respectively, to relatively movable portions of a table top.

Referring now to the drawings, it will be seen that my table slidecomprises first and second extensibly related slide members l2, 14, thefirst slide member, sometimes referred to as the outer slide member,providing a longitudinally and horizontally outwardly extending upperportion 16 constructed to be secured to the underneath side of oneportion 18 (FIG. 3) of a table top, a first web portion 20 extendinglongitudinally and vertically downwardly from the inner edge (left-handedge in FIG. 2) of the upper portion 16, a second web portion 22extending longitudinally and horizontally outwardly from the lower edgeof the first web portion 20, a third web portion 24 extendinglongitudinally and vertically downwardly from the outer edge of thesecond web portion 22, and a fourth web portion 26 extendinglongitudinally and horizontally inwardly from the lower edge of thethird web portion 24. The second slide member 14 provides alongitudinally and horizontally inwardly extending upper portion 28constructed to be secured to the underneath side of another andrelatively movable portion 30 (FIG. 3) of such a table top, a first websection 32 extending longitudinally and vertically downwardly from theouter edge of the upper portion 28 to be parallel to and in slidingcontact with the first web portion 20, a second web section 34 extendinglongitudinally and horizontally outwardly from the lower edge of saidfirst web section 32 to be parallel to and in sliding contact with theunderneath surface of the second web portion 22, a third web section 36extending longitudinally and vertically downwardly from the outer edgeof the second web section 34 to be parallel to and in sliding contactwith the third web portion 24, and a fourth web section 38 extendinglongitudinally and horizontally inwardly from the lower edge of thethird web section 36 to be parallel to and in sliding contact with theupper surface of the fourth web portion 26.

The fourth web portion 26 is provided with a longitudinally extendingand upwardly opening generally U-shaped trough 40 intermediate its outerand inner edges and the fourth web section 38 is provided with alongitudinally and downwardly extending generally U'shaped ridge portion42 intermediate its outer and inner edges, the ridge portion beingslidably engaged in the trough. It will be appreciated that the ridgeportion 42 is formed conformingly and slidably to engage the trough 40,i.e., so that the uniformly curved lower surface of the ridge portion 42uniformly contacts and bears upon the uniformly curved upper surface ofa major portion of the trough 40. The engagement of this ridge portion42 in this trough 40 in the manner just described provides the desiredsmooth extension and retraction movement.

It will be appreciated that the longitudinally extending centerlineabout which the trough 40 is formed is disposed inwardly, i.e., to theleft in FIG. 2, from the inner surface of the web portion 20 and theouter surface of the web section 32. Since the web section 34 is insliding contact with the undemeath surface of the web portion 22, andsince the centerline of the trough 40 is disposed inwardly from theinner surface of the web portion 20, the slide member 14 is restrainedfrom pivoting in the direction of the arrow 44 (FIG. 2) away from theslide member 12. This feature adds significantly to the strength of thetable slide 10.

As a matter of convenience, in order to provide a stop system for theslide 10, the web portion 24 is provided with a longitudinally extendinginwardly opening trough 46 while the web section 36 is provided with alongitudinally extending and outwardly opening trough 50 disposed at thesame height as the trough 46. A stop portion 48 is pierced and pushedinwardly from the trough 46 while a stop portion 52 is pierced andpushed inwardly from the trough 50. These two portions 48, 52 meet asindicated in FIG. 3 to stop extension movement of the slide member 14 inthe direction of the arrow 54 relative to the slide member 12.

The upper portion 16 of the slide member 12 is perforated at a pluralityof longitudinally spaced-apart points, such as indicated at 56, toprovide means for attaching the slide member 12 to the underneath sideof a tabletop Similarly, the upper portion 28 of the slide member 14 isperforated at a plurality of of longitudinally spaced-apart points, suchas indicated at 58, so that the slide member 14 can be secured to theundemeath side of a tabletop. Conventionally, wood screws or the likeextend through the perforations 56, 58 to secure, respectively, theslide members, 12 and 14 to the tabletop. The outer edge of the upperportion 16 is provided with a downwardly turned lip 60 and the inneredge of the upper portion 28 is, likewise, provided with a downwardlyturned lip 62. These lips 60, 62, respectively, strengthen the upperportions 60, 28.

In FIG. 2, it will be seen that the slide member 12 is formed from sheetmetal which is somewhat thinner than the sheet metal from whichslide'member 14 is formed. For instance, the slide member 12 may beformed from 19 gauge sheet steel while the slide member 14 is formedfrom 18 gauge sheet steel. I believe that this arrangement permits me tomake the strongest possible table slide 10 using the thinnest possiblesteel. The strength, of course, is necessary when the slide 10 isextended.

With the cross-sectional shape of my present invention, I can providetable slides of varying strength simply by varying the vertical heightof the web portion 20 and web section 32.

That is. by maintaining the configuration of the lower portions of theslide members l2, l4, lcan provide slide members having differentstrength characteristics simply by varying the height of the verticallyextending web portion 20 and web section 32.

What is claimed is:

l. A table slide comprising first and second extensibly related slidemembers, said first slide member providing a longitudinally andhorizontally outwardly extending upper portion constructed to be securedto the underneath side of one portion of a tabletop, a first web portionextending longitudinally and vertically downwardly from the inner edgeof said upper portion, a second web portion extending longitudinally andhorizontally outwardly from the lower edge of said first web portion, athird web portion extending longitudinally and vertically downwardlyfrom the outer edge of said second web portion, and afourth web portionextending longitudinally and horizontally inwardly from the lower edgeof said third web portion, said second slide member providing alongitudinally and horizontally inwardly extending upper portionconstructed to be secured to the underneath side of another andrelatively movable portion of such a tabletop, a first web sectionextending longitudinally and vertically downwardly from the outer edgeof the last said upper portion to be parallel to and in sliding contactwith said first web portion, a second web section extendinglongitudinally and horizontally outwardly from the lower edge of saidfirst web section to be parallel to and in sliding contact with theunderneath surface of said second web portion, a third web sectionextending longitudinally and vertically downwardly from the outer edgeof said second web section to be parallel to and in sliding contact withsaid third web portion. and a fourth web section extendinglongitudinally and horizontally inwardly from the lower edge of saidthird web section to be parallel to and in sliding contact with theupper surface of said fourth web portion, said fourth web portion beingprovided with a longitudinally extending and upwardly opening troughintermediate its outer and inner edges arid said fourth web sectionbeing provided with a longitudinally and downwardly extending ridgeportion intermediate its outer and inner edges, said ridge portion beingslidably engaged in said trough.

2. The slide of claim 1 in which said trough is generally U- shaped incross section and said ridge portion is conformingly U-shaped in crosssection.

3. The slide of claim 1 in which said first and second slide members areformed from sheet stock to provide their respective upper portions, webportions and web sections and in which said trough is formed to have agenerally U-shaped cross section and said ridge is formed to have aconforming U- shaped cross section.

4. The slide of claim 1 in which the longitudinally extending centerlineof said trough is spaced inwardly from the inwardly facing surface ofsaid first web portion and the outwardly facing surface of said firstweb section.

5. The slide of claim 3 in which the longitudinally extending centerlineof said trough is spaced inwardly from the inwardly facing surface ofsaid first web portion and the outwardly facing surface of said firstweb section.

1. A table slide comprising first and second extensibly related slidemembers, said first slide member providing a longitudinally andhorizontally outwardly extending upper portion constructed to be securedto the underneath side of one portion of a tabletop, a first web portionextending longitudinally and vertically downwardly from the inner edgeof said upper portion, a second web portion extending longitudinally andhorizontally outwardly from the lower edge of said first web portion, athird web portion extending longitudinally and vertically downwardlyfrom the outer edge of said second web portion, and a fourth web portionextending longitudinally and horizontally inwardly from the lower edgeof said third web portion, said second slide member providing alongitudinally and horizontally inwardly extending upper portionconstructed to be secured to the underneath side of another andrelatively movable portion of such a tabletop, a first web sectionextending longitudinally and vertically downwardly from the outer edgeof the last said upper portion to be parallel to and in sliding contactwith said first web portion, a second web section extendinglongitudinally and horizontally outwardly from the lower edge of saidfirst web section to be parallel to and in sliding contact with theunderneath surface of said second web portion, a third web sectionextending longitudinally and vertically downwardly from the outer edgeof said second web section to be parallel to and in sliding contact withsaid third web portion, and a fourth web section extendinglongitudinally and horizontally inwardly from the lower edge of saidthird web section to be parallel to and in sliding contact with theupper surface of said fourth web portion, said fourth web portion beingprovided with a longitudinally extending and upwardly opening troughintermediate its outer and inner edges and said fourth web section beingprovided with a longitudinally and downwardly extending ridge portionintermediate its outer and inner edges, saiD ridge portion beingslidably engaged in said trough.
 2. The slide of claim 1 in which saidtrough is generally U-shaped in cross section and said ridge portion isconformingly U-shaped in cross section.
 3. The slide of claim 1 in whichsaid first and second slide members are formed from sheet stock toprovide their respective upper portions, web portions and web sectionsand in which said trough is formed to have a generally U-shaped crosssection and said ridge is formed to have a conforming U-shaped crosssection.
 4. The slide of claim 1 in which the longitudinally extendingcenterline of said trough is spaced inwardly from the inwardly facingsurface of said first web portion and the outwardly facing surface ofsaid first web section.
 5. The slide of claim 3 in which thelongitudinally extending centerline of said trough is spaced inwardlyfrom the inwardly facing surface of said first web portion and theoutwardly facing surface of said first web section.